It will be the first time women will have headed these portfolios. The Pentagon has seen 27 defence secretaries, all white men, and the treasury department with a much longer history has seen 77 Treasury secretaries – all white men. Established in 2004 after 9/11, the directorate of national intelligence has had six white men heading it across 16 years,
Additionally, Biden is also set to name an African-American diplomat, Linda Thomas Greenfield as the US ambassador to UN and Alejandro Mayorkas as the first Latino to lead the department of homeland security.
Democracy and diversity have asserted themselves in America. More than two weeks after Donald Trump lost the US Presidential election, his administration on Monday authorized transition to the victorious Biden-Harris team, conceding defeat in all but name.
Even as Trump surrendered, President-elect Joe Biden began unveiling what is turning out to be the most diverse and gender-balanced cabinet and quasi-cabinet appointments in a country long run by old white men.
Aside from vice president elect Kamala Harris, Biden named, or is set to name, at least half-dozen women for key positions. They include Janet Yellin as treasury secretary and Avril Haines as director of national intelligence overseeing the gamut of American spookdom. In addition, Michele Flourney is tipped to become defence secretary.
